Objectives of International Criminal System in Instruments and Practice of International Criminal Courts

With the development of international criminal law in the light of the establishment of military courts after World War II, international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and subsequently the International Criminal court, various objectives were stated for the international criminal justice system that are beyond the traditional goals of punishment. In addition, a new concept of traditional goals is considered in international level. Recognition of these objectives is important because it will lead to better understanding of the system mechanisms and how they operate. It will also be clear that over the years, how international criminal tribunals have succeeded in achieving the stated objectives. Through investigating the aims of international criminal law in instruments and practice of international criminal tribunals, this paper has come up with the conclusion that traditional punishment goals have priority over other goals, such as recording history and post-conflict reconciliation, in the international criminal justice system, but the importance of them depends on stages of the criminal processes so that retribution and deterrence play a more significant role in sentencing as well as in the rehabilitation in the enforcement of punishment.